Wilischthal – Thum narrow-gauge railway

Wilischthal – Thum
Herold (Erzgeb) –Ehrenfriedersdorf

Section of the route map of Saxony from 1902

Route number :

6972; sä. WT (ex WE)

Route length:

13.54 km

Gauge :

750 mm ( narrow gauge )

Maximum slope :

29 ‰

Minimum radius :

50 m

Top speed:

20 km / h

Legend

0.000	Wilischthal	340 m
	(Connection of the Annaberg-Buchholz railway and the Flöha train station )
0.084	Zschopau Bridge (72.25 m)
1.270	Conn. Wilischthal paper mill
2.062	Mühlgraben Bridge (29.3 m)
2.310	Wilischau	355 m
2,454	Wilisch Bridge (10.1 m)
2,788	Wilisch Bridge (13.1 m)
3.740	Grießbach (Wilisch Valley)	375 m
3.858	Wilisch Bridge (19.2 m)
6.240	Exactly	395 m
2,454	Mühlgraben Bridge (17.8 m)
7.190	Venusberg until 1902	408 m
8.380	Venusberg spinning mill from 1902	420 m
	Conn. Venusberg spinning mill
9.376	Wilisch Bridge (32.6 m)
9.500	Subherald	432 m
10.750	Middle Herald	448 m
11.300	Herald (Erzgeb)	458 m
13.820	Ehrenfriedersdorf until 1906	516 m
12,454	Thumer Bach Bridge (12.8 m)
13.160	Thum until 1906	499 m
13.286	EÜ Färberstr. (46 m)
	from Meinersdorf
13.540	Thum	507 m
	to Schönfeld-Wiesa

The narrow-gauge railway Wilischthal – Thum (also: Wilischtalbahn ) was a Saxon narrow-gauge railway in the central Ore Mountains . It began in Wilischthal station on the Annaberg-Buchholz and Bf-Flöha railway line and led along the Wilisch to Ehrenfriedersdorf . A branch line ran from Oberherold to Thum . The Oberherold – Ehrenfriedersdorf section was abandoned in 1906 due to the construction of the Geyer – Thum line .

history

Prehistory & opening

The town of Annaberg was supposed to have had a railway connection as early as 1855 , after which planning began in 1858 which, in addition to other routes, also examined a route through the Wilisch Valley via Thum and Ehrenfriedersdorf . Instead, however, the design by the Zschopautal was favored, which was then implemented in 1866 with the Chemnitz-Annaberger Bahn . For a long time, a rail connection for the Wilisch valley seemed inaccessible, and it was not until the 1880s that the Saxon state parliament dealt with the problem again under pressure from the numerous paper and textile manufacturers who were hoping for a further economic upswing from a railroad. In 1883/1884 the draft of a narrow-gauge railway from Wilischthal to Thum or Ehrenfriedersdorf was finally decided.

After the completion of the construction work, which began in September 1885, the Wilischthalbahn was ceremoniously opened on December 14, 1886.

business

A new station was built in Thum for the connection with the Schönfeld-Wiesa-Geyer narrow-gauge railway, which was built from 1904 . Even before the new connection in the direction of Geyer went into operation, a temporary connecting track from the previous stop to the new Thumer station was used by the Wilischthalbahn trains from April 18, 1906. The line to Geyer was opened on April 30, 1906, with the start of regular traffic one day later - on May 1, 1906 - the short branch line from Oberherold to Ehrenfriedersdorf station was shut down, as a new station for the new line to Geyer Ehrenfriedersdorf had been established. During the construction of the line, the branch line to Ehrenfriedersdorf was planned as a siding for several users, but since the costs for use were too high for them, this project failed.

The trolley traffic was introduced in 1912/13, various modifications were necessary to create the necessary profile freedom.

Together with the Schönfeld-Wiesa-Meinersdorf connection, the route contributed significantly to the region's economic development. Freight traffic increased steadily and reached its peak at the beginning of the sixties with approx. 300,000 tons in the entire “Thumer Netz”. Mainly coal and building materials were transported, as well as cotton, paper, cellulose, yarn, stockings, shoes, wood and much more. Gelenau station accounted for a large share of the cargo handling with over 20%. The number of people transported on the route per year varied greatly.

From the mid-sixties, coal transports were shifted to the road, which led to a significant decrease in freight traffic. At the same time, there was in fact no longer any need for passenger transport between Wilischthal and Gelenau. The trains drove extremely slowly due to the neglected superstructure.

Shutdown

The Wilischthalbahn was shut down on May 28, 1972 and gradually dismantled from Thum to the siding of the Wilischthal paper mill by 1976. Only the connection to the paper factory was still operated with shunting trips from Wilischthal until 1992. In December 1991, some special trips took place for the last time with an IV K, a baggage car and a passenger coach.

99 1778-2 with a passenger train between Venusberg-Spinnerei and Gelenau on May 27, 1972

Route description

course

Simplified elevation profile of the Wilischthal – Thum narrow-gauge railway

Starting from the Wilischthal train station on the Zschopautalbahn , the line ran to Oberherold in the Wilisch valley . Before the network was rebuilt, it continued in this valley to Ehrenfriedersdorf, after 1906 it ran from Oberherold in the Jahnsbach valley to Thum station , where it was connected to the Schönfeld-Wiesa-Meinersdorf narrow-gauge railway .

Operating points

Last train Thum-Wilischthal

Wilischthal ⊙50.724738 13.056544

On December 1, 1874, the Wilischthal station was built on the standard gauge railway line Annaberg-Flöha . The narrow-gauge section of the station was opened in 1886. The existing station building of the Zschopautalbahn was extended by an extension. A stand-alone engine shed, a coal shed with a lounge and an adjoining water station with an approx. 4 meter projecting water crane were newly built . Furthermore, a loading ramp for narrow-gauge vehicles and a rolling pit built in 1887, which was converted in 1913 for the use of rolling vehicles. From 1906, the locomotive shed was only used for car repairs in winter. Locomotive and coal sheds were no longer available when operations in Thum were discontinued in 1972.

Track systems of the narrow-gauge railway in Wilischthal station, station building, goods shed
Wilischthal train station, reception building narrow-gauge side (2017)
Wilischthal station, former narrow gauge section (2017)

Wilischau ⊙50.727837 13.036513

Wilischau stop, former location (2017)

The station near a spinning mill on the territory of the community of Grießbach was opened on June 1, 1888 as a stop at Weißbach without any buildings. From 1915 onwards it was referred to as the Wilischau stop , later it was given a waiting hall with an adjoining room. From 1925 until the end of the Second World War , the Wilischau halt was a demand stop . With the summer timetable of 1966 it was given up as an operating point due to a lack of demand. There are no remains of the station today.

Grießbach (Wilischthal) ⊙50.721803 13.023296

Bus stop Grießbach (Wilischthal), former location (2017)

The Grießbach stop was opened on December 25, 1886. In 1905 it was dedicated to the station and in 1910 it was renamed Grießbach (Wilischthal) . At the station in the Wilisch valley, which was two kilometers away from the towns of Weißbach and Grießbach , there were initially no buildings. From 1912/13 a waiting hall with a room for the freight agent and an outbuilding with a free toilet were built. In the direction of Thum, the station restaurant was located behind the intersection. In 1933 it was downgraded to a stop. The sidings existed until 1946/47. After that, the now stopping point was only used for passenger traffic. In the direction of Thum, after exiting the station, there was a 15-meter-long handrailless bridge over the Wilisch. From the former station only remains of the foundations of the waiting hall remain today. There is now a bus stop nearby.

Gelenau ⊙50.711666 12.997132

The Gelenau stop was put into operation in 1886 with the opening of the railway line as a stop with a bus shelter, goods shed and free pass. The inventory included a siding for the “textile syndicate”.

Due to the increasing volume of traffic, the stop was elevated to a station in 1905, where train crossings could now take place. The bus shelter has now been replaced by a massive building. A special feature was the "sharp" corner of the house because of an adjacent street. At the end of the 1920s, the station received a second loading street track. Gelenau station went out of service on May 29, 1972.

Gelenau station (2016)
Gelenau train station, goods shed

Venusberg ⊙50.703171 12.998275

Former stop at Venusberg (2017)

The Venusberg stop was introduced in 1888 at the request of Gebr. Schüller in order to set up a stop for the workers of the Venusberg I spinning mill. In 1902, at the request of the same company, it was moved one kilometer south to the town of Spinnerei. The siding branching off the main track to the left still existed until the 1930s. It ended at the buildings after crossing the Wilisch.

Venusberg spinning mill ⊙50.696319 12.986792

The Venusberg spinning mill stop was relocated in 1902 from the Venusberg I spinning mill to the north in the Wilisch valley behind the road leading to Gelenau at the Venusberg II spinning mill in the Spinnerei district of Venusberg. The station had a factory connection. In 1956/57 this was expanded to become the most extensive connection in the Thumer network and served by the connecting customer with its own Ns 4 diesel locomotive , which is now owned by the IG Preßnitztalbahn . As part of the renovation, the bus shelter and the Freiabort built in 1912 were moved towards Thum and a locomotive shed was built. There is now a parking lot on the area north of Spinnerei. The former locomotive shed on the connecting railway is now used as a garage. In the direction of Thum, Herolder Strasse was crossed behind the station.

Historic photo from the Venusberg spinning mill stop
Former stop at Venusberg spinning mill with engine shed (2017)
Former stop at Venusberg spinning mill with engine shed (2017)

Unterherold ⊙50.686894 12.984664

Former Unterherold stop, view towards Thum (2017)

The Unterherold stop was opened on December 15, 1886 . In 1910 this was dismantled and moved about 70 meters in the direction of Thum behind the intersection. It had a platform 130 meters long. The station was closed between 1925 and 1928.

The halt was famous for having what was supposedly the smallest reception building in the DR. A two-axle car body of class 760/761 without a sliding door served as storage space. It was only demolished in the early 1990s.

Middle Herald ⊙50.67665 12.979198

Former Mittelherold stop, view towards Thum (2017)

There were initially no buildings at this Mittelherold stop . From 1927/28 there was a bus shelter and an outbuilding with a free toilet. The outbuilding was later demolished. The wooden waiting hall was demolished in 2005.

Herold (Erzgeb) ⊙50.672896 12.974426

The original Oberherold stop has existed since the line opened. A waiting room with a freight agency, an auxiliary building with free access and a two-tier locomotive shed were available on the high-rise buildings. The stop was the first junction of the Thumer network and the first narrow-gauge junction in the Ore Mountains. From the direction of Wilischthal the trains ran to the old station in Ehrenfriedersdorf, in Oberherold the line to Thum branched off. In 1905 the station was elevated to a train station. With the closure of the line to Ehrenfriedersdorf in 1906, the two-tier locomotive shed with a water station lost its importance. Due to the expansion of the route network, the junction moved from Oberherold to Thum.

From the summer timetable in 1942, the station was designated as Herold (Erzgebirge) station. The ensemble of reception building, wooden toilet and engine shed have been preserved in a restored condition. After the station was closed on May 29, 1972, the "Herolder Heimatfreunde" took over the building. After the "Herolder Eisenbahnfreunde" was founded in 1997, the buildings are gradually being renovated and used by them. In September 1999 a single-wing lattice mast shape signal was implemented from the abandoned station Königswalde (Erzgeb) above Bf on the Weipert – Annaberg-Buchholz railway line and Bf to Herold (Erzgeb). The station is a stop on the Saxony Steam Railway Route .

Herold station (Erzgeb), reception building (2016)
Herold (Erzgeb) station, histor. Painting on the reception building (2016)
Herold (Erzgeb) station in Oberherold (2016)
Herold (Erzgeb) station, toilet
Herold station (Erzgeb), newly built track section (2016)
Herold station, former engine shed (2019)

Ehrenfriedersdorf (until 1906) ⊙50.652332 12.972171

Ehrenfriedersdorf station (until 1906), reception building (2017)

From 1886 to 1906 Ehrenfriedersdorf was the terminus of the line and the seat of the railway administration. The following were erected: a station building with a goods shed, a free depot, a two-tier locomotive shed and a track bridge scale. After 1906 the buildings were rented out and the tracks were dismantled by 1909. Together with the Geyer – Thum line, a new station was built and put into operation in 1906. The reception building of the first Ehrenfriedersdorf train station in Wettinstraße now houses a day-care center.

Thum (until 1906) ⊙50.669969 12.950101

Location of the former Thum stop (2017)

In Thum, as the end point of the Oberherold branch, there was initially only one stop with a bus shelter at the level of the post office. It was located shortly after the level crossing on the Chemnitz – Annaberg-Buchholz trunk road (today's federal road 95 ). The operations center had four tracks with a total of nine points. A reception building had not been built, the task of which was taken over by the goods shed with an attached office. Facilities for restoring the locomotives did not exist. On May 1, 1905, the station was elevated to a station. As a result of the construction of the Geyer line, on which a new station was built, the operating site was closed in the following year, 1906. All buildings were demolished. A rising embankment began on the former station area, which then spanned Färberstrasse and Jahnsbach via a bridge and then ended in the new Thumer Bahnhof.

Thum ⊙50.6686 12.9524

Former reception building of Thum train station (2000)

In 1906, in connection with the construction of the Geyer – Thum line, a new station was built, which acted as the operating center of the so-called “Thumer Netz”. In the course of this, the Thum stop, located northwest of the new train station and which has existed since 1886, was closed.

From May 1906 until its closure in 1975, Thum station was the operational center of the narrow-gauge lines to Schönfeld-Wiesa, Meinersdorf and Wilischthal. A station building, ancillary building with free access, a wagon shed, a goods shed, a loading gauge, a track bridge scale and a side loading ramp with loading lane were built on the site. At the end of the platform in the direction of Geyer, there was a water crane between the tracks.

From 1906 to 1911 there was a two-tier locomotive shed with a water station, water crane and fire pit on the station grounds in Thum. In 1911 a third siding was added. In 1934 the old locomotive shed was torn down. In its place there was a locomotive shed with four double booths and a two-track shed for car repairs. It was the largest locomotive shed on the Saxon narrow-gauge railways . In October 2013 the building was demolished for the planned new construction of a nursing home on the site.

Vehicle use

The 99.77-79 series formed the backbone of the company from 1953 until the end of operation.

Locomotives

From 1886 the locomotives No. 25, No. 26 and No. 27 of the class IK were used on the Wilischthalbahn . The locomotive No. 62 A / B ( II K ), produced by coupling the I K locomotives No. 2 and 3, was in service on the Wilischthalbahn before and during the First World War .

Preferably in the Thumer Netz and between Selva and Jöhstadt, the new III K should dominate in use after 1891 . The vehicle category was suddenly replaced by the IV K category from 1892 .

After the superstructure and the bridges were strengthened in 1924/25, the first superheated steam locomotives of type VI K came to Thum with 99 684 and 99 688 . They were followed by other machines of the same series, so that the Thum and Geyer locomotive stations in 1925 had 9, and in 1928 even 13 copies (including one in Meinersdorf). Between 1934 and 1937, locomotives of the VK class came to Thum with the numbers 99 612, 99 614, 99 615, 99 616 and 99 618 .

In the summer of 1933, the 99 751 and 99 752 were the first 1'E1 'standard locomotives of the DR class 99.73-76 to Thum. With the numbers 99 757 to 99 762, six more locomotives of type VII K (old) were added to the Thumer network. On June 20, 1953, the Thum depot received the 99 778, the first new locomotive of the DR class 99.77-79 . The 99 777 followed a day later. The 99 776 and the 99 779 to 99 793 also made their start-up on the lines of the Thumer network. Except for the specimens 99 772, 99 786, 99 788, 99 790 and 99 794, all other new locomotives ran on the Thumer network.

On the five-coupled locomotives of the 99.77-79 series, due to the many curves with a minimum radius of 50 meters in the Wilisch valley, a great deal of wheel flange wear occurred. The Bw Thum devised a new type of control and equipped their machines with it. The control worked so well that all locomotives of this series were equipped with it by RAW Görlitz .

The route today

From the former connection of the paper mill in Wilischthal to Herold, there is now a footpath and cycle path on the railway line . In Gelenau the characteristic “pointed” station building has been preserved. The station building in Ehrenfriedersdorf from 1886 still exists. Today it is used as a day care center.

The structure of the Zschopau bridge in Wilischthal still exists. The tunnel-like overpass at the former paper mill has also been preserved. From the former level crossing on the road to Gelenau in Wilischthal, the tracks are still several hundred meters to this day (as of early 2014). On the remainder from the bridge to the level crossing, these were only dismantled at the beginning of June 2009.